March 29

INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE OF THE RED CROSS DAILY BULLETIN

BASRA

On 29 March a team of four delegates (engineer, health delegate, field delegate and the head of sub-delegation) managed to get access to Basra from Kuwait, across the front line, with the full cooperation of all parties.

Wounded and sick

The health delegate has established contacts with the Ministry of Health with the aim of assessing the situation in Basra's hospitals.

Water supply

The team visited the main water treatment station (Wafaa Al Qaid) north of Basra and delivered urgently-needed spare parts. Iraqi technicians from the local water board have been present on the site during the past few days. The station is functioning at only 50% of its capacity.

Over the coming days, the ICRC engineers, together with the Iraqi technicians, will work on reconnecting the station to the other three back-up generators so that the station can function fully and cover the needs of the city's inhabitants.

Wounded and sick

On 29 March the ICRC provided medical assistance (dressing materials, disinfectant, suture material, etc.) to Shorish hospital in Sulaymaniyah, which treats war-wounded patients. Another visit to the hospital is planned for today, 31 March.

(Reuters photo shows 4-year-old girl with eye wound being tended by U.S. Marine in central Iraq on March 29. The girl and her family were caught in cross-fire between the Marines and local Iraqi soldiers. Her mother was killed; her father shot in the leg).